Politics & Government
Denver's Stay-At-Home Order Extended Through May 8
Denver's stay-at-home order was set to end April 30, but it's been extended until May 8, Mayor Michael Hancock announced Friday.
DENVER, CO — Denver's stay-at-home order will be extended through May 8 amid the spread of the new coronavirus, Mayor Michael Hancock announced Friday morning. The city's order was set to end April 30.
"We can rebuild the economy," Hancock said. "What we can't do is replace lives lost."
Denver officials will be analyzing the statewide 'Safer-at-Home' strategy to develop a phased re-opening plan for May 9, Hancock said.
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"We need a little more time to scale up our testing and tracing capacity," the mayor said. "We're going to take the time to do this right."
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Another goal for the city is "boosting consumer confidence," Hancock said. Public health officials are working with city departments to develop safe strategies for re-opening.
“Our priority is to keep our residents safe and to save lives,” Hancock said. “This virus is not going away and we need to be prepared for the long-term impacts. With the state’s guidance, and by taking extra time to be thoughtful and deliberate, we want to ensure that we will have adequate contact tracing and testing capability, and the time to provide the guidance that our residents and business community need to re-open safely.”
The extension of the order will give the city time to train staff in COVID-19 case management, contact tracing and monitoring, case investigations and the enforcement of quarantine orders, health officials said.
The extension will also give the city more time to secure additional personal protective equipment and tests. Denver's goal is to boost testing up to 1,000 per day.
The statewide stay-at-home order is set to end Sunday, and Gov. Jared Polis said he's working with health officials to analyze various strategies for reopening the state that don't involve overwhelming hospitals' intensive care unit beds.
Jefferson, Boulder, Arapahoe and Adams counties have also announced the extension of their stay-at-home orders through May 8.
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